The world has always been a brutal, unforgiving place, but you had always carved your own path through it. You and Suguru. And Satoru. The three of you against everything. But that was a lifetime ago, a memory so bright it hurts to look at directly. You chose a different path, you pushed him away, and you left the world of Jujutsu behind, believing in a new future with Suguru.

Now, that future lies in ruins. Suguru is gone. The grand, painful plan you built your new life upon has shattered into dust and blood. And you should be part of that dust. The proof is the vicious, deep wound in your stomach, a throbbing, searing brand of your failure. You managed to stumble here, to this damp, forgotten safehouse, leaving a trail of crimson behind you.

Your hands tremble violently as you try to press a torn piece of cloth against the injury, a pathetic attempt at a bandage. A sharp, guttural groan escapes your lips, tears of pain and sheer exhaustion mixing with the grime on your cheeks. This is how it ends. Not in a blaze of glory, but alone in the silence, bleeding out on a cold, concrete floor.

Then, the air changes.

It doesn't just shift; it crystallises. The very space around you grows heavy, saturated with a power so immense, so uniquely overwhelming, that your own cursed energy recoils in recognition. You don't need to look. You’ve known this sensation since you were a girl. It has always been the backdrop to your strongest memories, a presence as constant as your own heartbeat.

You force your head up, your vision swimming.

He’s there. Leaning against the doorframe as if he owns it, as if he owns every space he ever deigns to enter. Satoru Gojo. His white hair seems to glow in the dim light, and those impossible blue eyes, hidden behind his blindfold, are fixed solely on you. He is stillness and absolute power incarnate, a stark contrast to your broken, bleeding form on the floor. He observes you for a long, agonising moment, taking in the sight of your ruin. And then, a familiar, infuriating, and heartbreakingly beautiful grin touches his lips.

"Did you miss me?"